Cisco Certified Network Consulting and Support

Cisco offers an extensive line of wireless LAN devices and software tools intended to enable continual connections to data and resources and to facilitate teamwork among employees, associates, suppliers, and customers. Cisco's wireless product families include the Small Business, Aironet and Meraki series of access points (APs), as well as Cisco's Wireless Network Controller modules and appliances. Progent's certified wireless experts can help organizations of any size to utilize Cisco wireless technology to accommodate the new paradigm of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) networks by integrating their tethered and untethered environments to benefit from simplified deployment, consistently high throughput, centralized control, uniform policy enforcement, high availability (HA), and advanced protection.

Cisco's Unified Wireless solution can scale to as many as 18,000 wireless access points with Layer 3 connectivity across local or offsite venues such as enterprise campuses, university lecture halls, branches, and home offices. Cisco's Wi-Fi wireless access points and wireless controllers are part of Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and are engineered to support the same level of security, performance, and manageability for WLANs that companies demand in their wired ecosystem. This architecture incorporates built-in mobility services such as IP voice, IP video, and secure guest access. Cisco's Unified Wireless architecture allows companies to create wireless environments that improve the way they do business and improve productivity through a mobile and collaborative workforce.

Progent's Cisco-certified network infrastructure consulting services offers remote or onsite support to assist you to plan, configure, manage, upgrade, and troubleshoot converged wired and wireless network infrastructure of all sizes and for any environment. In addition, Progent offers affordable online and onsite wireless site surveys to help you to design and deploy a Wi-Fi network with custom-designed wireless access point clustering optimized for your individual office layout, building structure, and application workloads.

Small Business, Aironet and Meraki Access Points (APs)
Cisco's Small Business, Aironet and Meraki families of APs enable you to converge wired and wireless infrastructure to deliver the coverage, density, throughput, security compliance and ease of management required to support virtually any scenario. These APs start at entry-level, single-radio 802.11b/g/n devices with data rates of 300 Mbps intended for very small companies or home offices to dual-radio 802.11ac access points suitable for supporting 200 or more wireless clients per AP and delivering sustained data rates of up to 1.9 Gb. Cisco's latest line of APs can be combined or clustered to provide the scale to handle environments crowded with clients and with a high incidence of HD video applications.

Cisco Small Business Series of APs
Cisco's Small Business Series of access points are Linux-powered devices engineered as value-priced wireless APs for small offices. Most versions in the Cisco Small Business line of APs support Cisco's Single Point Setup system, which allows you to configure, manage and repair a group of access points from one device via a simple web browser interface. All models include POE and provide QoS, rogue AP awareness, and bridging for wirelessly connecting to a second Ethernet LAN.

Cisco's Small Business WAP121 Wireless-N Access Point is a wall-mountable, single-band 2.4GHz unit able to support 16 802.11n wireless clients, has a Fast Ethernet port, permits up to four AP devices and 40 wireless clients per cluster, and supports throughput of 300 Mbps. Cisco's Small Business WAP131 is a desktop dual-radio 802.11n AP able to handle 16 active clients per radio for up to 32 clients, features a GE LAN interface, and can support sustained data rates of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP131 Wireless-N does not allow clustering. Cisco's WAP150 is a value-priced Wave 1 dual-radio AC/n wireless access point that features a 1xGE Power over Ethernet (PoE) port and can handle 16 clients from each radio with 867 Mbps throughput for AC clients and 300 Mbps for 802.11n devices. The Cisco Small Business WAP150 allows 4 APs per cluster.

The Cisco Small Business WAP321 Access Point is a wallmount selectable-band (either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n device that can handle up to 80 active wireless clients sharing an 8-AP cluster. The WAP321 includes a Gigabit Ethernet interface and can deliver sustained throughput of 300 Mbps for the activated radio. The Cisco WAP351 is a dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n AP with a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet interface and can handle 32 active clients on each radio for up to 64 clients, and support a sustained data rate of 300 Mbps for each radio. The WAP351 does not allow clustering. The Cisco WAP361 is a dual-band 2.4/5 GHz Wireless-AC/N wireless access point that includes a 5-port Gigabit Ethernet switch, allows 32 clients on each radio, and offers 867 Mbps performance for wireless AC devices and 300 Mbps performance for 802.11n clients. Cisco's Small Business WAP361 allows 8 access points per cluster. Cisco's wall-mountable Small Business WAP371 Wireless-AC/N is a dual-band AP that supports 802.11n and the latest 802.11ac IEEE Wi-Fi standard. The WAP371 includes a GE interface, can handle up to 32 wireless clients per radio, and 8 access points per cluster.

Cisco's WAP561 802.11n Dual Radio AP features a 10/100/1000 Ethernet interface and dual radios (2.4 and 5.0 GHz) that deliver 450 Mbps throughput per radio, can handle 64 clients per radio, and allow 16 wireless access points for each cluster. Cisco's WAP551 is similar to Cisco's WAP 561 but has a single radio selectable band (2.4 or 5.0 GHz). The Cisco WAP571 and WAP571E (a weather-proof outdoor model) are dual-band Wireless-AC/N APs incorporating 2 x GE ports with link aggregation, 3x3 MIMO, and as high as 1.9 Gigabit/sec performance with 1300 Mbps over 11ac and 600 Mbps on 11n. Both APs can handle 32 clients per radio and 16 WAP371 access points per cluster.

To find out more about Progent's consulting services for both current and older Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 family of wireless APs, see Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 wireless access points consulting services.

Cisco's Aironet Line of Wireless Access Points
Cisco's Aironet family of indoor and outdoor wireless access points has for years been the top-selling access point product. Aironet APs range from entry-level devices to enterprise-class APs. Cisco's Aironet family cover several generations of devices compliant with the evolving 802 specification. Cisco's latest line of Aironet wireless access points support Cisco's Unified Wireless Network software and include 802.11ac Wi-Fi support, which delivers triple the performance plus greater coverage and user density compared to the prior generation of devices. Cisco's latest dual-band Aironet access points continue to support 802.11n at 2.4 GHz for clients that do not have 802.11ac capability.

The earliest Aironet APs are legacy units that have come to end-of-sale status and are not supported by Cisco. Progent continues to support the complete Aironet family of APs and can assist you to maintain your current Aironet wireless environment or upgrade cost effectively to current Aironet technology. For more information about Progent's consulting services for both current and outdated Aironet wireless access points, refer to Cisco Aironet APs consulting.

Cisco's Meraki Wireless Access Points
Cisco's portfolio of Meraki dual-band indoor wireless access points range from value-priced models for general use to advanced products that offer up to 2.5 Gbit/sec throughput. Every Meraki indoor wireless access point provides high-end features like plug-and-play deployment, advanced protection, BYOD support, extensive analytics, automatic web-based updates, and consolidated cloud-based management for multiple sites. Each Meraki indoor wireless access point also incorporates two high-power radios with boosted reception plus a dedicated radio that offers intrusion detection and prevention system (WIDS/WIPS) security for RF analysis and deep packet inspection at line rate.

Cisco's Meraki outdoor wireless access points are IP67 certified, built to operate in harsh outdoor environments, and able to withstand dust, vibration and moisture. Meraki outdoor access points include a 1 x Gbit Ethernet port and deliver advanced features that include cloud-based management with multi-site visibility, 802.1X and native Active Directory integration, built-in antivirus scan (NAC), 1-click secure guest access and guest isolation firewall, Layer 7 traffic shaping, plus auto-configuring mesh with MIMO and beamforming. For more information about Progent's support for Meraki wireless access points and management, see Cisco's Meraki wireless access points consulting.

Cisco Wave 2 Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers allow realtime data exchange, deployment, control, monitoring and debugging for Cisco wireless devices and software services. Cisco has developed both hardware and virtual Wi-Fi controllers for unified administration of WiFi networks, but systems with a large number of wireless access points are better served by hardware-based Wi-Fi controllers. New wireless controller appliances from Cisco offer significant advantages over Wave 1 and earlier models including greater throughput, concurrent support for 1G and 10G interfaces, improved application visibility and control, and hardened, built-in protection.

The Cisco 3504 WiFi Controller is a value-priced device available in a desktop body and intended for small and medium-sized businesses. You can use the 3504 in a centralized WLAN architecture such as in small branch and remote offices managed across the wide-area network with Cisco FlexConnect, or in mesh installations where Ethernet cabling is limited. The 3504 wireless controller supports up to 150 wireless APs and 3,000 clients, delivers 4 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 3504 controller features a multi-gigabit Ethernet port and four 1-GB Ethernet connections. Access points can be attached to the controller via two PoE ports. The 3504 wireless controller features fast failover for access points and users, which provides nonstop availability for apps. Like other Wave 2 Wi-Fi controllers from Cisco, the 3504 model has the built-in ability to communicate with Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Mobility Services Engine, and Cisco 5520 and 8540 WLAN controllers.

The Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller, available in a 1RU form factor, is designed for midsize to large enterprises and campus networks and can be run in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments. The 5520 Wi-Fi controller supports as many as 1,500 wireless APs and 20,000 client users, delivers 20 Gbps throughput, and supports 4,096 VLANs. The 5520 wireless controller features two 10 GE interfaces and incorporates SSD storage, redundant fans, optional dual power supplies, and rapid failover for uninterrupted availability.

The Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller, offered in a 2 rack unit form factor, is a high-end WiFi controller designed to support enterprises, service providers, and large campus environments. The 8540 Wireless controller can be used in centralized, distributed, and mesh deployments and can handle up to 6,000 APs and 64,000 users. The 8540 Wireless controller can deliver data rates as high as 40 Gbps and supports up to 4,096 VLANs. The 8340 includes four 1-GB or 10GE ports and features solid-state storage, backup power supplies, backup fans, and rapid failover.

Wave 1 Cisco WiFi LAN Controllers
Cisco wireless LAN controllers cut the effort and expense required to deploy, manage, and operate Wi-Fi networks by centralizing control of critical functions like setting up wireless access points, applying single-point policies across wired/wireless networks, supporting enterprise-wide QoS for voice and video, tracking and troubleshooting system performance, activating wireless intrusion prevention system (wIPS) capabilities to defend against cyber break-ins and DDoS attacks, and managing IPv6 and dual-stack clients. Cisco has developed wireless LAN controllers for businesses of all sizes and can provide standalone desktop controllers, modular plug-in wireless controllers for Cisco routers and Catalyst switches, and switches with built-in wireless network controllers.

Cisco's Wave 1 WiFi controllers incorporate Cisco CleanAir technology to avoid signal interference and create self-optimizing wireless LANs for top 802.11n and 802.11ac throughput and security. Integrated Apple Bonjour Gateways enable discovery, advertisement and policy across WLAN, LAN and WAN for Apple-based applications. For fault tolerance, Cisco wireless controllers support AP and client stateful failover by enabling a backup high-availability wireless controller to synchronize with a main wireless controller for AP license count, CAPWAP state and roaming keys, and AP CAPWAP state. In case the main wireless controller goes down, thousands of access points and wireless clients can failover in less than a second to the secondary wireless LAN controller.

Cisco's Wireless Controller Module for ISR G2 Routers with UCS-E provides basic 802.11n and 802.11ac support for 2900 and 3900 routers deployed by small to medium-sized organizations and branches. This affordable and expandable solution can support from five to 200 APs and up to 6000 wireless clients. (To find out about Progent's remote and on-premises consulting and troubleshooting support for Cisco routers, see Cisco router configuration and troubleshooting services.)

Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series are 1RU form-factor switches intended for small to mid-size businesses and satellite offices and come with an integrated wireless LAN controller with the ability to handle 40 Gb of wireless throughput per switch and 25 wireless access points and 1000 wireless clients per switch. Catalyst 3850 Series are 1RU rackmount switches designed for midsize businesses and large enterprises and feature an integrated wireless LAN controller supporting 40 Gb of wireless capacity per switch and support for up to 50 wireless access points and 2000 wireless clients. The Wireless Services Module2 (WiSM2) is an add-in blade for Catalyst 6500 Series switches that include an integrated wireless network controller designed for mid-to-large size businesses and able to deliver 20 Gbps throughput and with support for 1000 access points and up to 15,000 wireless clients. (For information concerning Progent's consulting services for Cisco Catalyst switches, see Catalyst switches deployment and management consulting.)

Cisco 2500 Wireless Controllers are entry-level desktop devices that streamline the provisioning and management of wireless networks for SMBs and branch offices. The Cisco 2500 Series wireless network controller supports from five to 75 wireless access points and 1000 clients and can deliver throughput of 1 Gbps.

Cisco's 5500 Wireless Controller is a scalable 1RU appliance intended for medium-sized to large enterprises and campus environments and can manage up to 500 access points and 7,000 wireless clients while providing 8 Gbps throughput. The Cisco 5760 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance designed for mid-to-large campuses with the ability to manage up to 1000 access points and 12,000 clients and delivering performance of 60 Gbps to accommodate high client densities and high usage of video-intensive mobile applications.

The Cisco Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controller is designed to manage thousands of wireless branches from a single location, eliminating the requirement for a wireless controller at each remote site. The 1RU Flex 7500 allows you to build a private cloud to deploy, monitor, maintain, and repair as many as 6000 access points and up to 64,000 clients while handling 1 Gbps throughput. Cisco's 8500 Series Wireless Controller is a 1RU appliance designed to monitor and control wireless networks for large campuses or service providers and can be expanded to support 6000 access points and up to 64,000 wireless clients while offering 10 Gbps throughput.

To find out more about Cisco WiFi controllers, visit Cisco wireless controllers consulting and integration.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Access Points, LAN Bridges and Controllers Supported by Progent
The introduction of the 802.11ac standard for Wi-Fi effectively made obsolete all earlier generations of Wi-Fi products for many environments that support high numbers of clients and high incidence of video-intensive software applications. Even for businesses who do not currently require the performance of 802.11ac, a large number of Cisco wireless products have arrived at end-of-sale or end-of-support status, which can represent significant service and compliance issues. Progent's Cisco-certified consultants offer online and onsite support services for a wide array of earlier-generation Cisco wireless products. Progent can also assist organizations to evaluate the business case for upgrading up-of-date wireless technology and can assist in designing and carrying out affordable, non-disruptive migrations. The following are a few of Cisco legacy wireless devices that Progent's consultants continue to support.

Legacy Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points
Cisco Aironet 1000/1130AG family access points are ideal for offices and similar locations which have minimal environmental instability. These products include built-in antennas that provide dependable omnidirectional range profiles. The Cisco Aironet 1130G family wireless access point is designed for restricted locations that do not allow 5GHz transmission.

Cisco Aironet 1230AG/1240AG family access points are ideal for more problematic radio frequency environments like factories or above ceiling structures which tend to call for adjustable external antennas and ruggedized cases. The 1240G family access point is intended for restricted locations that do not allow 802.11a operation.

Cisco Aironet 1500 lightweight outside wireless mesh LAN access points offer an affordable, expandable, protected outdoor wireless network solution for enterprise campuses and for public venues that need connectivity for portable devices.

Legacy Cisco Wireless Bridges
Cisco Aironet wireless bridges provide a high-throughput and feature-rich solution for integrating multiple local area networks in a metro situation or public access environment. Cisco Aironet bridges offer a versatile, easy-to-use technology that meets the protection requirements of wide-area networking professionals. These devices support both point-to-point and P2MP implementations with excellent coverage and the ability to handle traffic rates up to 54 Mbps.

Cisco wireless bridges offer data rates significantly higher than E1/T1 connections for a fraction of the expense, avoiding the requirement for expensive leased lines when linking separate offices. Because bridges require no ongoing charges, savings on connection bills quickly pay for the startup equipment investment. Self-installed private lines and even leased lines using metal or fiber-optic cable can require considerable up-front costs if they are separated by obstacles such as highways, railroads, or bodies of water. Cisco wireless bridges can be deployed rapidly an offer a fast return on investment.

Cisco 1300 Series outside wireless access points/bridges can be implemented as independent wireless access points, bridges, or workgroup bridges. These products have a ruggedized cover and provide fast, cost-effective wireless connectivity between numerous fixed or mobile environments and users.

Aironet 1400 wireless bridges provide high-speed, reliable outdoor bridging for line-of-sight environments. These devices are housed in a ruggedized cover that can hold up to harsh outside conditions and can operate within broad temperature ranges.

Legacy Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco Wireless Network Controllers centralize the management of WLANs by simplifying the handling of key technologies such as intrusion prevention, real-time RF management, automatic deployment, and N+1 redundancy. WLAN controllers work with lightweight access points to deliver enhanced throughput and high-end control capabilities.

WLAN Controllers (WLCs) provide the manageability, expandability, security, and reliability that IT managers require to build secure, enterprise-scale wireless environments, from branch locations to small companies to main campuses. Cisco's first-generation Wireless Network Controllers can be clustered to offer support for up to 2400 WAPs for each roaming domain.

Cisco's WLCM or WLCM-E Module for Integrated Services Routers offers small-to mid-size businesses and enterprises an affordable solution to deploy and manage secure wireless LANs at branch locations. These devices manage up to a dozen Aironet access points and are installable in 2800/3800 Series Integrated Services Routers and 3700 Routers. (For information about Progent's remote and onsite consulting services for Cisco routers, see Cisco router configuration and troubleshooting consulting.)

How Progent's Engineers Can Help Your Company with Cisco Wireless Products
Progent can provide a Cisco-certified consulting professional to assist you to design, install, maintain and troubleshoot a converged wired and wireless ecosystem incorporating a wide array of wireless technologies that offer the same protection, scalability, and manageability you demand from a wired environment. Progent can help you to manage early-generation Wi-Fi products from Cisco or migrate seamlessly to the latest 802.11ac-comaptible products. Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security professionals can show you how to build protection into your wireless network and into your business operations. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity consultants can assist you to set up the high availability features incorporated into Cisco's wireless and wired technologies so your converged network delivers significant return on investment.

Progent’s Wi-Fi Site Survey assists you to plan and implement a robust WLAN optimized for your environment, providing a Wi-Fi solution that provides comprehensive coverage, high speed and capacity, Quality of Service to support IP voice and video, advanced security, and streamlined management. Progent's Wi-Fi Site Survey can be delivered remotely to reduce time and expense, or onsite to deal with more difficult facilities.

For a more in-depth discussion of Progent's wireless consulting capabilities, see Progent's Wireless LAN Expertise.

To learn additional details concerning Progent's professional support for Cisco products, choose a subject:

• Introduction to Progent's Cisco Network Support
• Fast Remote Help from a CCIE Consultant
• Cisco Firepower Series Firewalls: Configuration and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Firepower Services: Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• ASA 5500 Firewall Upgrade. Migration Services
• PIX 500 Series Firewall Management Services
• Cisco Routers Engineering Services
• Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points Deployment Services
• Cisco Small Business Wireless APs Deployment Services
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Consultants
• Cisco Meraki Wireless APs Deployment Support
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Configuration and Troubleshooting
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Consulting Services and Wireless VoIP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber Deployment Services
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Engineering Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Meraki MS Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco VPN and Security Integration Assistance
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and CUBE Integration Expertise
• Design Solutions for Cisco-powered Datacenters
• Data Center Optimization Services for Service Providers
• Remote Network Management Technologies for Cisco Environments